We all know one.

You remember, the high school athlete that had it all. He had the golden arm, the lightning quick feet or the size that can't be coached.

Then, something happened. The superstar struggled, then faded faster than a breakaway touchdown run.

Ronnie Lott, a star defensive back and member of the NFL Hall of Fame, has also seen high school stars morph into nothing more than all-star disappointments. That's why he decided to serve as the chairman for the National Advisory Board for the Play It Smart program.

The Play It Smart program was launched by the National Football Foundation in 1998. The program was designed, in part, to help student-athletes become academically eligible for college athletics.

The program uses counselors to consult with the athletes in individual schools. The program is involved with 136 schools in 35 states. Play It Smart is represented in three area schools: Austin-East, Fulton and West.

"I saw that this program was able to help these young people and give them the life skills that you need to have to not only play the game of football but to play the game of life," Lott said on the News Sentinel Sports Page radio show on the Sports Animal. "A lot of things they learn in the game of football apply to how you play the game of life.

Lott said athletes often have a hard time coping once athletics are taken away, for whatever reason. The situation can be even more difficult for a young man fresh out of high school.

"All of the sudden, it's taken away from them," Lott said. "Then that thirst and competitive drive of waking up every morning and getting in shape and getting ready is now lost.

"The reason why he loses it is that he thinks that he can't apply it to other things in his life. Yet, you can apply it to other things in your life. It's the same disciplines, it's the same work ethics."

Lott said he has discussed the issue with former NFL great Jim Brown, who works to help rehabilitate prison inmates. Although Lott and Brown are dealing with different stages of life, there is plenty of common ground.

"Jim said 'Guys, I compete on the field,' " Lott said. "You can compete off the field. You just have to come to work everyday. You have to have those same disciplines you had in athletics.'"

Lott and Brown are both considered two of the toughest players in the history of the NFL. However, Lott said you don't have to be a tough guy to get your message across to young athletes.

"One of the greatest leaders that we had and one of the greatest guys that I respect was Joe Montana," Lott said, referring to the former NFL quarterback who played with Lott for the San Francisco 49ers. "And Joe wasn't a tough guy. He wasn't a guy that would go around yelling and screaming. If anything Joe had a very low demeanor.

"You can be a leader and still have a quiet demeanor."

Lott also recalled a piece of advice from John Robinson.

"I bet you can't apply yourself the same way you do on the football field," Lott said, recalling an academic challenge from the former Southern Cal coach. "If you do that Ronnie, I promise you there is no student out there that can work harder than you."

Perhaps one of the reasons that athletics far too often takes a back seat is because of the emphasis placed by peer pressure. The message is clear. Sports are cool. Academics are not.

"One of the reasons why it happens is how it's socialized to you," Lott said. "We foster that because we find a young athlete and we tell him 'Don't worry about it. You just keep working at your skill.' "

Lott is primarily in charge of raising money for the Play It Smart program and the National Football Foundation.

"When you have financial assistance, we can change the world," he said. "There are a lot of athletes that we have come across over the years that quit on life, yet they're the greatest competitors and the greatest workers.

Quarterback Shuffle: Hampton (Va.) High School quarterback Tyrod Taylor committed to Virginia Tech as expected.

The decision would seem to help UT land Travaris Cadet from Miami (Fla.) Central. Cadet told Govolsxtra.com that he is mainly considering UT, Florida and Virginia Tech. It seems unlikely that Cadet and Taylor, who are both athletic quarterbacks, would both end up at Virginia Tech.

UT also has a quarterback commitment for the 2007 class. B.J. Coleman from Chattanooga McCallie is considered a pocket passer, while Cadet is much more mobile.

Dave Hooker covers recruiting. He may be reached at hookerd@knews.com.